Page 39 of The Summer We Started Over

Barrett set two plates on the table, added a jar of Aunt Leah’s cranberry honey, knives, spoons, and napkins.

“Beautiful day out there,” Barrett said as the toast popped up.

“I hardly slept. I’m nervous about Dinah being here. She’s pretty high maintenance.”

“I’m nervous about Nantucket Blues,” Barrett said.

“It will be amazing, Barrett! You’re amazing. And once I get Dinah settled here, I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”

“Thanks, Eddie.”

The sisters slathered the toast with butter, spread the cranberry honey, and munched in contented silence.

“I could eat this all day,” Eddie said.

“Me, too,” Barrett agreed.

Barrett put two more slices in the toaster. “So, Jeff will be here today.”

“I know. I wonder what he’ll think of Dinah.” Eddie glanced at the kitchen clock. “She’ll be here at eleven. I’ve got to put that bedroom in order.”

“I’ll help,” Barrett mumbled as she chomped on her toast.

They set their plates in the dishwasher, washed the runaway honeyoff their hands, and went up to the guest bedroom. All the furniture was in the middle of the room, surrounded by stacks of books.

Eddie ran her hand along one shelf. “Whose books are these?How to Knit with Dog Hair?Does God Ever Speak through Cats?How to Poison Your Husband with Natural Plants?This is insane!”

“Are there unnatural plants?” Barrett mused.

Their father startled them. He stood in the doorway, dressed in khakis and a blue rugby shirt. He’d shaved and slapped on aftershave lotion.

Barrett raised her eyebrow at Eddie. It meant:Are you thinking what I’m thinking?

Eddie grinned and nodded. Dad was dressed to impress.

“Those books can all go,” he announced. “I meant to get around to sorting them. When the library had its book sale, your mother and I took the leftovers home. Otherwise, they would have gone to the dump.”

“And you brought them across Nantucket Sound and unpacked them and put them here?” Eddie shook her head. “You know that’s crazy, right?”

Barrett held up a book. “You might want to keep this one, Dad. It’s calledHow to Write a Book in Ten Days.”

William rolled his eyes. “That ship has sailed.”

Eddie’s phone buzzed.

“I’m boarding,” Dinah yelled. She had a tendency when she was in an airport to speak loudly, thinking the connection was bad because of all the plane supercomputers. “I’ll be there in an hour.”

“I’ll be waiting for you at the airport,” Eddie told her. Ending the call, she gave her sister and father a helpless look and said, “I don’t think we have time to get this room in shape.”

“Nonsense,” her father said. “I’ll help you.”

“Here come Jeff and Paul,” Barrett cried. She went out to the porch and waved at the men. “Hey, guys, come help us move books.”

Ten minutes later, they were all working together. Eddie carried a box from the bedroom, handed it to Barrett in the hall, who took it toher father in the kitchen, who took it out to the porch where Paul took it out to the barn and Jeff stacked it near a bin. Paul put his phone on top of the refrigerator and blasted out his classic rock playlist. In twenty minutes, most of the books were out of the bedroom. William made coffee and they all stood on the back porch, huffing and puffing.

“You guys are the best.” Eddie noticed a spot under Jeff’s chin that he’d missed when shaving. She wanted to kiss it. What? She shook her head. “I’d better finish the room.”

“We’d better get to work,” Jeff said.

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